bord Gas Networks has promised to try to keep disruption to a mininum during the rollout of the next phase of its €16.5 million project to bring gas to Wexford town.

But it says that inevitably there will be some as it lays some 13km of pipelines around the heart of the town, with the work due to start next month.

'We are committed to working closely with local authority personnel, politicians, businesses and local residents as we progress this gas and water multi-utility project for Wexford town.' Senior Construction Engineer Andrew Doyle told an information meeting with stakeholders at White's Hotel last Thursday night.

'We have had a good engagement with stakeholders to date and will continue to meet with more people over the coming weeks. We look forward to starting work in Wexford Town, but are also very mindful of the disruption that will occur as a result of these works.

'Our aim will be to work closely and collaboratively with our stakeholders in order to minimise disruptions and to address any issues in a proactive manner.'

With work now complete on extending the gas network from Campile, Great Island to the Ring Road on the outskirts of Wexford town, this latest phase of the project will see approximately 13km of gas pipelines laid around the town along with the replacement of 1km of water main on Newtown Road.

A number of site investigations will also be undertaken to determine the replacement of further water mains as part of the next phase of work.

Members of the Wexford Chamber, local businesses and councillors attended the information evening and had the opportunity to meet directly with members of the project team.

Madeleine Quirke, CEO of Wexford Chamber, said: 'We are absolutely delighted that natural gas can now be offered as a unique selling point when we are promoting Wexford as a place in which to do business.

'The benefits to those businesses who can use gas to fuel their operation is already paying dividends and as the network expands I am confident that both business and domestic users will grow exponentially.'

Gas Networks Ireland has started the process of connecting up a number of new natural gas customers, including large users around Wexford, to the network.

There will be opportunities for local businesses and residents to connect to the network once work has been complete in Wexford town. Natural Gas offers significant advantages over other fuel sources in terms of both cost and environmental impact. Its flexibility is particularly popular with industrial users.

Fran McFadden, Commercial Sales Manager with Gas Networks Ireland said the level of response to date from local businesses and stakeholders showed there will be very strong demand for natural gas in and around Wexford town.

'Businesses making the switch can look forward to fuel cost savings of anywhere between 30% and 60% on their current fuel bills, together with reduced carbon emissions, no storage requirement and a constant, reliable supply of natural gas,' he said.